A Georgian protester and her sister have claimed to have been pepper sprayed and knocked down by two unknown men, who told them to ‘prepare for the worst’ should they attend another demonstration.
Taia Tsekvava posted on Facebook saying that she was attacked on Sunday.
In her post, she wrote that she and her sister were heading home together when they were accosted.
‘One of them sprayed pepper spray on my face and then both of them knocked me on the ground’, she wrote. ‘They told me: “If you show up again at the rally, be prepared for the worst”.’
Amidst anti-government protests in Georgia, reports about physical attacks, threats, and verbal abuse targeting activists, demonstrators, and opposition politicians have become increasingly common.
In early May, activist Nutsa Makharadze reported that she, her cousin, and a friend were attacked with pepper spray and coloured dye by an unidentified man inside her residential building. According to Makharadze, the assault followed a month-long stalking in various forms.
The attacks on government critics have taken place both during the protests against the controversial foreign agents law last year and the more recent demonstrations sparked by Georgian Dream’s decision to freeze the country’s EU membership bid.
Government critics have repeatedly linked the attacks to the ruling party, which has not confirmed its involvement.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
